Pretrial hearings are underway in the case against the man accused of masterminding the bombing of the U.S.S Cole 14 years ago. Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri could receive the death penalty for charges including terrorism and the killing of 17 soldiers. A new judge, Colonel Vance Spath, has just taken over the case at a military commission at Guantanamo Bay. In this week’s Legal Loop, Tom Temin and Emily Kopp speak with Criminal Defense Attorney Brian Bouffard on the Federal Drive. He takes them inside the world of military commissions.

Tom Temin is the host of The Federal Drive, which airs from 6-9 a.m. on 1500 AM in the Washington, DC region and online everywhere. Tom has 30 years experience in journalism, mostly in technology markets. Before coming to Federal News Radio, he was a long-serving editor-in-chief of Government Computer News and Washington Technology magazines.